So unless you are currently located underneath a rock, you’ve heard there’s some hubub with late night television right now.  And despite the fact that I don’t generally watch a whole lot of late night television (you’d think I would since I’m always up late, huh?), I definitely have opinions on the whole thing.  Because, frankly, I’m ticked off.

See, it started years and years ago, when Jay Leno, host of the Tonight Show, announced he would be stepping down in 2009.  Who would take his place?  Before it was officially announced, I automatically though of Conan O’Brian.  I was familiar with him and his late LATE night show and thought he was a funny guy.  It was a natural choice.  So when it was announced it would indeed be Conan O’Brian as the host of the Tonight Show, I was excited for him.  And also excited for the future of Late Night because he’s a different sort of guy.

We watched Jay’s last week and… meh.  I mean, it was okay but I never felt this loss like I did when Johnny Carson left years and years before.  I thought that meant that it was indeed time to change the guard.  His time was done, let’s usher in a new king.  Right?

Well, for whatever reason NBC gave Jay a comedy/variety show that would air at 10pm each night.  Which raised red flags for me at the time.  It really felt like they were moving the Tonight Show up to 10 and Conan’s show to 11:35.  Sure, the names of the shows would be different, but really.  What was the point?  I mean, other than to upstage and sabotage Conan on the Tonight Show?  I was ticked off but no one else seemed to share my sentiment so I figured I was just being over-reactive.

Still, it felt like Jay Leno and NBC were trying to steal some of Conan’s thunder and that wrankled my nerves.

Fast forward to Jay starting his new show (which, SURPRISE SURPRISE was basically his exact Tonight Show format… same stage (if not, then they made the new stage look just like the old one), same shtick, same everything.  And it was still pretty boring.  Tame, yes.  Boring.  YES.  I might have watched the monologue on the first night and that was it.

We did better with Conan’s Tonight Show, watching it in almost it’s entirety (hey, that’s late even for me!) for a week or so.  And despite the fact we don’t watch much late night network television, we would tune in every now and then to watch the monologue or see what was going on.

Then the rumors started floating around that Jay’s show was sucking.  That it was even bringing down the news at 11.  And that Conan’s ratings were suffering too.  This sort of makes sense, if you ask me.  I mean, what did NBC expect?  Jay is “safe” but a little too safe for 10pm.  His show is bland.  People were changing the channel in order to watch actually interesting shows at 10pm and sticking with that station’s newscast at 11.  And they weren’t turning back at 11:35 for Conan.  So it would appear the fault was with Jay, yes?  Cancel Jay and put a decent drama in that time slot and move forward, yes?

NOPE.  Idiots.

What was the surprise is that NBC wanted to change Jay’s timeslot to 11:35.  It would still be “The Jay Leno Show” or whatever they call it.  And then the Tonight Show would move back to 12am.  And Jimmy Fallon’s show would get pushed back even LATER.  It was basically revolving the entire schedule just to keep Jay around.  You know, the same guy who said YEARS before that he was RETIRING?  The Tonight Show would be The Tonight Show in name only.  What NBC wanted to do would ultimately slaughter the institution that many of us (and our parents!) grew up with.  Just because they think Jay is such a swell guy.

And this is where I get REALLY mad.  You take Conan, and give him the job of a LIFETIME.  Something he’s dreamed about and aspired to.  He shakes up his life, moves his family, his co-workers, their families and everything out to the west coast.  They build an awesome sound stage and everyone gets jazzed for it.  He comes out with some really funny stuff!  No, it’s not like Jay.  It SHOULDN’T be like Jay, because it’s Conan.  See the difference there?

And now he’s in a crappy situation.  Take it in the rear for NBC or stand up for what he thinks is right?  I’m so glad he stood up.  He put out a letter saying that basically NBC’s offer of a time-schedule shake up was crap and he wasn’t taking it.  He spoke of how disappointed he was for himself AND for Jimmy Fallon, who would also be screwed by this whole thing.  That he didn’t want to take part in the demise of the Tonight Show.  And good on him!

Now, according to TMZ, NBC has made official what they’ve wanted all along:  Jay will return to the Tonight Show.  Conan is out.  This is beyond crappy.  You can bet your sweet bottom I will NEVER tune into watch Jay Leno.  EVER.  I will watch Letterman if I have to watch anything.  And if Fox were to offer Conan a show?  I’ll be there.  Because you know what?

I’m with Coco.

We’re back from our last-minute trip to San Jose.  It was actually a rather pleasant trip, despite our reason for going being such a downer.  It was nice to see my BFF and her daughter (who I had not met yet, if you can believe it).   It was a nice visit with my parents, even though the chaos that the kids (and by kids, I mean LIAM) created.  And the kids did have a great time there.  Harry was constantly out back, either swimming in the non-heated pool (brr!) or riding his scooter around and around and around.  Liam slept in a big boy bed, just as he had on our Disney trip and did just fine (though having a hard time being put down at night, but that was mostly because of being in a strange place and wanting to stay up and par-tay).  Evie had a great time cruising around, trying to get in kitchen cabinets and banging her head on various unforgiving surfaces (she has the bruise on her forehead to prove it).

It was nice to come back home too, though.  It usually is, though our fondness was strictly limited to it being our home and our things and our routines and had NOTHING to do with being happy to see Reno.  Which we weren’t.  Our state of disgruntlement is growing.  I can only hope this means our time here is short.   I mean, Reno doesn’t even have an IKEA and that is just not right on so many levels.

But at least we have an In n’ Out.  So it’s not like we’re totally living in the dark ages or anything.

In other news…

Over the weekend I noticed my stomach would start to hurt every time I ate something.  I have no idea why this is, but I’m not happy about it either way.  Lets hope this is something that a) resolves itself quickly and b) doesn’t get worse.  Amen and thank you.

Noggin changed their name to Nick Jr. today and officially freaked me way out.  They can’t just make a change like that!  I need to be consulted!  My mind was officially blown when TWO WHOLE HOURS LATER I finally noticed.   Cough.

My fifteen year high school reunion was on Saturday.  I didn’t go because of a confluence of issues, not at all limited to the fact that I didn’t remember until the last minute and had no information on where it actually was being held and all that.  But that doesn’t mean I can’t look at myself in the mirror in utter disbelief that it has been fifteen whole years.  Where have I been?

Also: Evie is cute.  I just thought I should put that out there.

Okay, Monday is coming to a close so I should probably go ahead and post this before it becomes TUESDAY and my own blog post outdates itself.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I need a beer.

I hate blogging about pop culture things anymore.  There’s so much subjectivity there, not to mention that a bazillion and one other people are already talking about the same thing and my voice is only white noise.   And then there’s the whole thing where the topic is completely STUPID.  But I find myself strangely compelled today because I can hardly think of much else (thanks, modern media, for blitzing me with this crap as soon as I was awake!).  And I’m trying to become a better blogger so it’s time to start writing and stop thinking so damned much.

I watched the “special” show last night.  Because I’m stupid I had this morbid curiosity to see what the heck was going to happen.  Even though we all already knew.   Still, I hoped for a fraction of an instant the “announcement” would be that they were stopping the show, fullstop.

That was apparently WAY TOO MUCH to hope for.

The whole episode made me want to throw up, basically.  I watched it now and then a year or so ago, back when things were “hunky dorey”.  Remember, back when jokes about Kate harping on Jon were lighthearted beause OF COURSE their marriage could take it?  Back when the kids were all still little and far less annoying (I’m looking at you, Maddy).  But I would say I was far from a fan.  Watching “Jon and Kate + 8″ was akin to rubber necking an accident on the interstate.  Yes, even then.  Now?  It’s not an accident.

It’s a freakin’ train wreck.

And yet, has anyone said, “We should turn off the cameras!”?  NOPE.  Oh, it’s too late for that.  They’re rolling in the money and fame and attention now.  They can’t see the forest for the trees anymore.  I’m more convinced of that than ever after watching last night’s show.

These are selfish, selfish people.  Both of them, though Jon apalled me by saying he was EXCITED for this new chapter in his life.  Excited?   To leave his home and his children behind?  He even admitted on camera that he wouldn’t be seeing them every day.  And he’s EXCITED?   I gaped at Kile when this scene aired and asked him if he would be “excited”.  Kile said no, that he couldn’t imagine not seeing his children every day and certainly couldn’t grasp being excited about it.

These two clearly are incapable of dealing with their issues in a mature fashion.  They bicker in front of the children constantly.  The backbiting is horrific.  This is a FAMILY show?

Their insistance that the show is not the cause of their problems made me literally guffaw out loud.  Sure, I can see where their personalities would clash on or off camera regardless, but I don’t believe for an instant that the pressure cooker that is having your life filmed and broadcast to the world at large as well as the media and paparazzi circus that has followed them hasn’t contributed towards this.  And for whatever reason, I think that this whole show has caused them to forgo the reasonable avenue of seeking counseling and go straight to divorce.  They claim to be doing this for the children but I think either way you play it, the kids are the ones losing here.

I feel so sorry for these children.  I’m sorry their parents can’t put aside their pettiness and try to work together.  That their parents won’t turn off the cameras for the betterment of the family.  That these kids will have an extensive record, on film for posterity, of the demise of their family.  And so will everyone who ever interacts with them in the future.  People say blogging is not good for children for the “exploitation” that occurs.  Blogging has NOTHING on a reality tv show.  And I don’t know any blogger worth their salt that wouldn’t shut things down if they thought for an instant that it was harming their children.

My greatest hope is that now the couple is quitsville, that the audience will soon follow.  After all, people have been gawking at these two and their clearly fragile relationship.  Now that the two will not likely be on camera much together or even reference the other all that much, the gawkers will fade into the woodwork.  And with the audience, goes the ratings.  And when the ratings flatline, perhaps TLC will finally have the good sense to pull the plug.

Me, I’d just like to forget that I ever watched it.

Let’s bring back this little feature, shall we?  Because while I’m actually NOT feeling particularly crabby today (I know… I’M SHOCKED TOO), there’s always plenty to hate on a Monday, including Monday itself.  And I didn’t post anything all weekend because I was too busy with the “ahh” and the “*contented sigh*” and that sort of thing.  Weekends rock.

Okay, on with the hate….

• caffeine headaches.  Yes, I know we all saw this coming with my addiction to Rockstar and all.  Shut up.  No one likes an “I told you so.”
• the iPhone OS 3.0 update.  Okay, the only thing I hate about this is that it’s not being released for another week or somesuch wrongness.  I WANT IT NOW.  SOUNDS AWESOME.
• our mailman.  Yes, it continues.  I NEVER know when the mail is going to be delivered anymore.  Is it SO hard to deliver stuff by 5pm EVERY day?  REALLY?  Do I have enough capitals in this post so far?
• headaches.  Really, how do you get rid of these?  Cuz ordinary pain killers seem to have no effect.  I’ve taken four ibuprofen and nothin’.  Suck.
• the sun.   I got sort of used to the sun being gone last week with all the storms and everything.  This summer weather is for the birds.  I want my rain back.
• that it’s five more days till the weekend.  Not right, man.  (Except that I now recall Kile is taking Friday off and his parents are coming to town so WOO HOO short week!)
• waiting.  It’s for the birds.  I hate waiting.
• my bruised big toe.  Have you ever had one of these?  I landed on it funny when I fell down the stairs last week and ever since it’s been in PAIN.  Turns out?  You use your big toe quite a bit when walking.  WHO KNEW?
• “Ned’s Declassified” on Nickelodeon.  This show is like nails on a chalkboard.  So is “The Naked Brothers Band”.  And come to think of it, I don’t care for “The Penquins of Madagascar” either.
• on the preschool side of things, I hate “Oswald”, “Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends” and “DragonTales”, to name but a few.
• this stupid headache.  Seriously.  Get a clue, dude.

So that’s the list for this week.  Do you hate it?  You do don’t you?  You can tell me.  Anyhow, it would TOTALLY fit in with the whole overall theme.

I wonder what’s going to happen on “Lost” tonight.  It’s been so danged good lately that I don’t dare miss a minute of it.

I wonder if Sarah Chalke is actually the “mother” on “How I Met Your Mother”.  I’m thinking: no.

I wonder if the wind is EVER going to just STOP, please for the love of GOD.

I wonder if I should go chase down our garbage can that blew down the street this morning. GAH.

I wonder what I should have for lunch.  Is it weird that I’m actually kinda excited to have a tv dinner to eat?  Probably, huh?

I wonder if I should drink some Rockstar.  I’m guessing that if I don’t want to fall asleep in my tv dinner, I probably should.

I wonder if Evie will keep up her sleeping at night the way she has been.  It has been MARVELOUS.  I recently stopped nursing her in the night (the cut-off being when I go to bed around 11 or 12 and I can start again in the morning anytime after 6am as I’m generally up around then anyhow).  For a while, myself or Kile (usually me) was getting up when she’d wake and rocking her before putting her back in her crib and that worked great.  The last couple of nights, we haven’t even had to do that.  Though I think she’s woken a little and cried for about a minute before falling back to sleep.  Let’s hope this is a trend in the RIGHT direction towards a full night of sleep for everyone!

I wonder why I’m still so tired if I didn’t have to get up in the night last night.  Hmm.  Could be the whole “going to bed around 11 or 12, waking up at 6 or 6:30″ thing, huh?

I wonder why Liam loves PBS’s “Word World” so much.  Is it the letters and words?  He loves himself some letters and numbers these days.

I wonder why I write such goofy blog posts when I know that no one likes this sort of post anyhow.  Could be I’ve got a lot on my mind and I need an easy way to unload it.  Could be I don’t have the coherent thought capacity at the moment to write a decent post.

I wonder if drinking some Rockstar could help with that.

There’s only one way to find out!